Mmmm, bread. For thousands of years humans have been taking some some of grain, adding water and letting it yeast up, or not, to make something hearty. BREAD IS AWESOME, make no mistake. Homemade bread is cheaper, tastier and healthier than buying that crap that comes in the little transparent bags (that isn't bread, by the way).
I've been experimenting with a few different recipes so this isn't really solid but it's complete enough to get you started. Don't be afraid to change things and mess them up. Do it 5 times, succeed and fail, and you'll see what works.
A- Make a "starter":
1.5 cups of flour*
1 cup warm water (aprrox. 105 F)
2 tsp of yeast
Mix this gently, but thoroughly, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel for 3-5 hours (I haven't really decided how long is correct). The mix will rise and fall and should smell a little bit yeasty and tart. The result is a "start" that will contribute greatly to a gentle sourness and better texture.
*organic whole wheat is going to work way better than anything else and is starting to be available from the company bek sul. If you don't have it no worries. Costco has some large bags of flour the are pretty cheap and tasty.
B- After 3-5 hours to the stater add:
4 cups of flour* (add 2cups straight away and then add by 1/2 cup increments while kneading)
1/2 cup of milk (milk is optional but you'll need more liquid - water would work)
3 tbsp soft butter (not sure why this gets thrown in but it can't hurt)
2 tbsp of good sea salt (if you're using table salt go lighter)
3 tbsp sugar
1.5 tsp of yeast (if someone tells you that adding yeast at this stage is cheating, tell them that they are correct but that they should mind their own business...and don't share with them. Adding yeast at this stage will ensure a good raise. As far as cheating goes...the milk, butter, sugar...all cheating. shhhhh!)
This is the point where you can feel free to throw in flax seed or nuts or dried fruit, all of which are delicious but will affect the way the bread rises. Don't let that discourage you though. Mess around!
*If you've got lot's of that good organic wheat flour kicking around you can use it, but at this point I usually switch back to the normal white stuff.
C- Kneading:
Mix in the 2 cups. At this point you should have batter thick enough to put on a kneading surface (if not just add more flour until you do). Add in 1/2 cup of flour at a time and start to knead the dough until it will form a ball that is slightly sticky but solid enough to keep it's form. Add the 1/2 cup of flour approx. every 1 min -1.5 minutes as throughout the kneading process the dough will stiffen up, absorbing the flour and working the gluten.
Once you've got it where you think that you'd like it knead it for another couple of minutes. Get rough with it, you're not calling it back.
D- First Rise
Put in a large, lightly oiled (veg oil) bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise until it stops rising (maybe 2 hrs).It doesn't need to be in a warm spot but the cooler the spot the longer it will have to rise. Some people intentionally let dough rise in cooler areas to slow or "retard" the rise in order to develop better flavor.
E- Second Rise
After the first rise is over you want to punch-down the dough, portion it off (2 loaves) and knead it again for a minute or so. The second rise should only take about an hour but you've got choices to make at this point. The second rise is going to take place in whatever you're going to baking it in.
So if want to bake it in a loaf you'll have to measure and cut the right amount. Sizes vary so mess around. The dough should be appropriate for 2 medium size loaf pans. Also, it's a good idea to let the dough sit for 10 minutes after the second knead just to "relax" the dough a little. After 10 minutes, though it in the pan.
If you don't have a loaf pan, no worries, just set the ball of dough on a pizza pan, casorle dish etc.
I usually "slash" the dough with a razor blade a couple of times across the top seconds before putting it in the oven (do it minutes before and you might as well start over.
F-Baking:
Preheat oven so it's SUPER hot and then bake at approx. 200 F until done maybe 20-30 minutes (keep an eye on it).
G- Egg/cream wash (this is unnecessary but adds to a nice crust)
Once the bread is a light brown (maybe 2/3 done cooking) take it out (remove from pan if using a pan) and brush a mix of equal parts of eggs and cream/milk. Just a light brush will do and then throw it back it with no pan.
Fresh bread is like sex...it might not look pretty but cover it in butter and you've really got something.
I've been experimenting with a few different recipes so this isn't really solid but it's complete enough to get you started. Don't be afraid to change things and mess them up. Do it 5 times, succeed and fail, and you'll see what works.
A- Make a "starter":
1.5 cups of flour*
1 cup warm water (aprrox. 105 F)
2 tsp of yeast
Mix this gently, but thoroughly, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel for 3-5 hours (I haven't really decided how long is correct). The mix will rise and fall and should smell a little bit yeasty and tart. The result is a "start" that will contribute greatly to a gentle sourness and better texture.
*organic whole wheat is going to work way better than anything else and is starting to be available from the company bek sul. If you don't have it no worries. Costco has some large bags of flour the are pretty cheap and tasty.
B- After 3-5 hours to the stater add:
4 cups of flour* (add 2cups straight away and then add by 1/2 cup increments while kneading)
1/2 cup of milk (milk is optional but you'll need more liquid - water would work)
3 tbsp soft butter (not sure why this gets thrown in but it can't hurt)
2 tbsp of good sea salt (if you're using table salt go lighter)
3 tbsp sugar
1.5 tsp of yeast (if someone tells you that adding yeast at this stage is cheating, tell them that they are correct but that they should mind their own business...and don't share with them. Adding yeast at this stage will ensure a good raise. As far as cheating goes...the milk, butter, sugar...all cheating. shhhhh!)
This is the point where you can feel free to throw in flax seed or nuts or dried fruit, all of which are delicious but will affect the way the bread rises. Don't let that discourage you though. Mess around!
*If you've got lot's of that good organic wheat flour kicking around you can use it, but at this point I usually switch back to the normal white stuff.
C- Kneading:
Mix in the 2 cups. At this point you should have batter thick enough to put on a kneading surface (if not just add more flour until you do). Add in 1/2 cup of flour at a time and start to knead the dough until it will form a ball that is slightly sticky but solid enough to keep it's form. Add the 1/2 cup of flour approx. every 1 min -1.5 minutes as throughout the kneading process the dough will stiffen up, absorbing the flour and working the gluten.
Once you've got it where you think that you'd like it knead it for another couple of minutes. Get rough with it, you're not calling it back.
D- First Rise
Put in a large, lightly oiled (veg oil) bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise until it stops rising (maybe 2 hrs).It doesn't need to be in a warm spot but the cooler the spot the longer it will have to rise. Some people intentionally let dough rise in cooler areas to slow or "retard" the rise in order to develop better flavor.
E- Second Rise
After the first rise is over you want to punch-down the dough, portion it off (2 loaves) and knead it again for a minute or so. The second rise should only take about an hour but you've got choices to make at this point. The second rise is going to take place in whatever you're going to baking it in.
So if want to bake it in a loaf you'll have to measure and cut the right amount. Sizes vary so mess around. The dough should be appropriate for 2 medium size loaf pans. Also, it's a good idea to let the dough sit for 10 minutes after the second knead just to "relax" the dough a little. After 10 minutes, though it in the pan.
If you don't have a loaf pan, no worries, just set the ball of dough on a pizza pan, casorle dish etc.
I usually "slash" the dough with a razor blade a couple of times across the top seconds before putting it in the oven (do it minutes before and you might as well start over.
F-Baking:
Preheat oven so it's SUPER hot and then bake at approx. 200 F until done maybe 20-30 minutes (keep an eye on it).
G- Egg/cream wash (this is unnecessary but adds to a nice crust)
Once the bread is a light brown (maybe 2/3 done cooking) take it out (remove from pan if using a pan) and brush a mix of equal parts of eggs and cream/milk. Just a light brush will do and then throw it back it with no pan.
Fresh bread is like sex...it might not look pretty but cover it in butter and you've really got something.